Tampon



uvg. 22, 1950 H. LAUN 2,519,912

TAMPON Filed June 28, 1949 :NVE/won. HELL/wu r Au/V Patented Aug. 22, 1950` OFFICE TAMPON Hellmut Laun, Salzburg, Austria' Application June 28, 1949, Serial No. 101,700 In Austria July 3, 1948 4 Claims. (Cl. 12B-263) This invention relates to a tampon, and more particularly to a catamenial tampon.

Hitherto known catamenial tampons are inserted into the vagina by means of an introducing tube from which they are expelled by means of a pusher consisting of a tubular member slidably arranged in said introducing tube. On one hand said manipulation requires some skill and on the other hand the two steps needed for the manipulation render same rather cumbersome.

An object of the present invention is to provide a catamenial tampon which may be inserted into the vagina without the use of an expeller thus eliminating the perfomance of a second step.

Another object oi' the present invention is to improve on the art of catamenial tampons which are used without an expeller.

With the above and other objects of the invention in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of various elements and parts, as described hereinafter and set forth in the claims hereof, certain embodiments of the same being described in the specification and being illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a tampon according to the invention, a portion of the wall of the introducing tube being broken away,

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the tampon shown in Fig. 1, said Fig. 2, however, illustrating the absorbent pad and the introducing tube in a partially disengaged position during the with drawal of the introducing tube from the vagina.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the absorbent pad of the tampon, preferably made of compressed absorbent material, such as cotton, comprises a slightly conical stick I and a head 2 arranged at the wide end of said stick I. pon has a perfectly smooth surface obtained by the compression of the absorbent material. The head 2 is of larger cross-section than the adjoining portion of the conical body i whereby a shoulder 3 is formed. The largest diameter of the conical stick I corresponds to the inner diameter of the introducing tube 4 open at both ends and made of cardboard or other suitable material, so that the conical stick I is in engagement with the inner surface of the introducing tube 4 merely at a portion adjoining said head 2. A puli cord 5 attached to theabsorbent pad I, 2 extends within the introducing tube and projects therefrom through a removable sleeve 6, arranged at the rear end portion of the tube for clamping The whole tamthe pull cord 5. The pull cord 5 being anchored by the sleeve 8 is slightly tensioned, so that the shoulder 3 between the head 2 and the conical stick I of the absorbent pad abuts against the front edge of the introducing tube 4. whereby the position of the absorbent pad I, 2 relative to the introducing tube 4 is secured prior to the use of the tampon and during the insertion thereof into the vagina.

The head 2 of the absorbent pad projecting from the introducing tube 4 and covering the front edge of the introducing tube 4 prevents any injury to the wall of the vagina by said front edge of the tube during the insertion of the tampon.

Immediately after the insertion of the tampon into the vagina the head 2 swells to a great extent (as indicated in Fig. 2). After removal of the sleeve 6 (see Fig. 1) from the end of the tube 4, the latter may be withdrawn from the vagina. During the withdrawal of the tube 4 the pad I, 2 remains in its position in the vagina.

' The length of the head 2 represents a substantial portion of the overall length of the pad I. 2: preferably the head 2 has approximately the double length of the conical stick I, as shown in Fig. 1 for example. Thus, the surface of contact between the expanding head 2 and the wall of the vagina and, consequently, the frictional resistance, is large enough to assure a retaining of the pad I, 2 in the vagina when the tube 4 is withdrawn, inasmuch as there is little friction, if any, between the inner surface of the tube 4 and the conical stick I contacting the former only at a small portion adjacent the head 2.

I have described preferred embodiments of my invention, but it is understood that this disclosure is for'the purpose of illustration and that various omissions or changes in shape, proportion and arrangement of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalent elements for those, herein shown and described, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A catamenial tampon comprising in combination: a tube open at its front end and at its rear end, a pad of absorbent material, said pad having a stick and a head permanently connected with each other, the portion of said head adjoining said stick having a larger cross-section than the latter whereby a shoulder is formed,

said Astick of the pad being inserted into the front end of said tube, merely a small portion of'said 3 tacting the inner surface of said tube, said shoulder of said pad resting on the edge of the front end of said tube and covering same, and a pullcord attached to said pad, said pull-cord extending within said tube and projecting therefrom at its rear end.

2. A catamenial tampon comprising in combination: a tube open at its front end and at its rear end, a pad of absorbent material, said pad having a stick and a head permanently connected with each other, the portion of said head adjoining said stick body having a larger cross-section than the latter whereby a shoulder is formed, said head having approximately the double length oi' said stick, said stick of the pad being inserted into the front end of said tube, said shoulder of said pad resting on the edge of the front end of said tube and covering same, and a pull-cord attached to said pad, said pull-cord extending within said tube and projecting therefrom at its rear end.

3. A catamenial tampon comprising in combination: a tube open at its front end and at its rear end, a pad of absorbent material, said pad having a stick and a head, the portion of said head adjoining the stick having a larger crosssection than the latter whereby a shoulder is formed, said stick of the pad being of substantially conical shape having its widest portion adjoining the head of the pad, said stick being inserted into the front end of the tube, merely a small portion of said stick of the pad adjoining the head thereof contacting the inner surface of said tube, said shoulder of said pad resting 4 on the edge of the front end of said tube and covering same. and a pull-cord attached to said pad, said pull-cord extending within said tube and projecting therefrom at its rear end.

4. A catamenial tampon comprising in combination: a tube op'en at its front end and at its rear end, a pad of absorbent material, said pad having a stick and a head, the portion of said head adjoining said stick having a larger crosssection than the latter whereby a shoulder is formed, said stick of the pad being inserted into the front end of said tube, said shoulder of said pad resting on the edge of the iront end of said tube and covering same, a pull-cord attached to said pad, said pull-cord extending within said tube and projecting therefrom at its rear end, and clamping means on the rear end of said tube capable of engagement with the projecting end of said pull-cord so as to tighten same prior to the use of the tampon.

HEHMUT LAUN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 716,040 Holt Dec. 16, 1902 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 118,484 Germany Mar. 11, 1901 527,474 Great Britain Oct. 9, 1940 

